Neon Commerce raises $13m to expand game publisher commerce tools

Neon Commerce raises $13m in Series A funding to broaden its direct-to-consumer commerce and loyalty infrastructure for games publishers, the fintech startup said. The round includes strategic backing from South Korea’s KRAFTON, the publisher behind PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, alongside a16z and Renegade Partners, and brings Neon’s total funding since its 2022 founding to $27 million.

The financing comes as games companies seek more control over digital storefronts, payments and player relationships outside app-store channels. Neon said its platform is designed to give publishers more visibility into payments, fraud controls, tax filings and money movement than they receive from some existing direct-to-consumer providers.

What does Neon Commerce do for game publishers?

Neon provides infrastructure that lets games publishers run direct web stores, process payments, manage tax and fraud requirements, and operate loyalty programmes. Direct-to-consumer commerce, in this context, means a publisher sells digital goods or related game purchases through its own channels rather than relying only on an app store or another distribution platform.

The company said its system connects with publishers’ existing data and technical systems to create personalised storefronts. Its payments layer handles checkout, tax and fraud processes, while its loyalty tools are intended to keep players transacting within each publisher’s own ecosystem.

Neon said it differs from intermediary models by making player information available to publishers where security rules and legal requirements permit. The company also said publishers retain control over strategic decisions around their direct-to-consumer programmes, while Neon takes responsibility for underlying infrastructure, payments integrations, compliance and fraud operations.

Chris Faught, Neon’s founder and chief executive, said the company was built so games publishers would not have to transfer leverage over player relationships to another middleman. He said Neon manages liability and operational complexity while leaving publishers in control of the commercial elements that shape their direct channels.

Who invested in Neon Commerce’s Series A?

KRAFTON participated as a strategic investor, according to Neon. Thomas Ko, head of KRAFTON’s Publishing Platform Division, said the company sees direct publisher-player relationships as part of game publishing’s future and plans to use Neon’s technical flexibility as part of its strategy for fan experiences.

Andreessen Horowitz, also known as a16z, returned as an investor. Jonathan Lai, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, said earlier direct-to-consumer providers showed demand for the category while also exposing limits in models that stand between publishers and players.

Neon said its business has expanded quickly since its 2024 seed round, with its customer base growing more than sixfold. The company also said gross merchandise value has increased more than tenfold over the past two years, and that it recorded more than 200% year-on-year growth in the first half of 2026.

According to Neon, publishers using its infrastructure generate up to 70% of monthly revenue through direct channels, while recent launches have captured 50% of direct-to-consumer share within the first three months. The company said repeat purchase rates rise from 52% after a player’s first transaction to more than 90% by the eighth purchase.

East Side Games is among the publishers using Neon across casual titles including “RuPaul’s Drag Race Superstar,” “The Office: Somehow We Manage,” “Doctor Who: Lost in Time” and “Squishmallows Match.” Neon said its Direct Checkout tool, which enables app-to-web purchases, captured nearly half of U.S. iOS revenue in three months for East Side Games, more than twice the benchmark rate cited by the company for casual games.

This story draws on original reporting from Finextra Research.